Combination hat



March 21, 1933. H, J RD N 1,902,080

- COMBINATION HAT Filed May 2, 1931 Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application filed Kay 2, 1931. Serial No, 534,597.

This invention relates to mens hats and is side elevation of a derby hat of an ordinary directed to the rovision of means for converting a derby at or similar hat formed of relatively stiff material into one hav 1ng an 5 appearance similar to that of a hlgh silk bat,

an opera hat, or the like.

Custom and social usage dictate thatfat many functions attended by men hats of. the type generally referred to as s1lk hats or opera hats should be worn. However, due to to their high price and for other reasons, many men do not own silk or opera hats, the relative infrequency of the occasions on which such hats are customarily worn being such that their purchase is considered unwarranted and it is therefore common practice for many men to appear on these occasions in hats which are inappropriate therefor. My invention is therefore directed to providing convenient and readily transportable means whereby an ordinary derbv hat or bowler..may be quickly converted into a hat having the eneral appearance of the more formal big or opera hat, said means being readily attachable to the hat as occasion re uires and as readily detachable therei from w en no longer needed.

A principal object of my invention, therefore, is to providea device adapted to be temporarily fitted over the crown of a derby hat for the purpose of giving it the general appearance of a formal silk or opera hat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which may be compactly folded into a small space and thus conveniently carried in the'pocket for ready attachment to the hat when the occasion arises and which may be asreadily detached therefrom when no longer required.

' A further object of my invention is to provide relatively inexpensive means whereby an ordinary derby hat or the like may be made to serve the purpose of a high or silk hat when and as desired.

Other'purposes, objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear or will be readily understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the ac companying drawing, in which Fig.1 is a type to which the device of my invention has been applied for the purpose of giving the ap earance of a high hat, certain parts being roken away into vertical section to indicate more clearly itsconstruction; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2'2 in the direction of the arrows Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a fr mentary detail on an enlarged scale of :Ee central top portion of my improved hat transforming means. In the several figures like characters are used to designate the same parts.

Wh1le in Fig. 1 I have shown the invention applied to a derby hat of the usual form, it will be understood that it may be employed in connection with other sorts of hats made of relatively stiff material, although since derby hats are in common usage I believe my invention will be-utilized most frequently in'association therewith.

Thus, I have shown a derby hat comprising the usual brim 2, crown 3 and hat band 4, in the construction and arrangement of which no change whatever is made when the hat is converted with the aid of my invention into a hat giving the appearance of a high hat, the means by which this is accomplished being so formed as to readily slip over the crown of the derby and fit snugly thereagainst so as to present the smooth andregular outward appearance which is highly desirable for formal wear.

The device of my invention comprises a fabric body 5 which may desirably be formed of silk having a glossy or satin finish on its exterior, or, if it is desired to give the appearance of an opera hat, grosgrain silk may be employed, but in either case the body will be formed as a relatively short tube of substantially elliptical cross section, open at its lower end and having its opposite end closed by a substantially elliptical plane portion 5' which is stitched or otherwise secured to the tubular part. Beneath this portion 5' is disposed a flat plate 6 formed of fairly heavy celluloid, thin aluminum, or the like, the shape of this plate being substantially that of the top of the crown of a silk hat, the plate being glued, stitched or otherwise secured thereto and acting as a stiffeningmember therefor. Secured to the plate 6 within the body by Suitable straps 6 or otherwise, are

disposed one or more, preferably two, spi- 5 rally wound springs 7 these springs are preftended condition when the springs bear against the top of the crown -of the derby hat and the lower or open end of the body is held snugly against the base of the crown by some suitable means as, for example, by

5 a silk covered rubber or other resilient band 8 of relatively considerable width which serves to retain the cover tightly against the crown of the derby and also to give the appearance of the usual hat band customarily worn; this band maybe stitched or otherwise properly secured to the exterior of the lower end of the body, and is of a size to tightly grip the derby hat when disposed in position thereon. Desirably the inner convolutions of the springs are merged into a single elliptical coil 7 adapted to bear on the crown of the derby.

As will be readily understood from Fig. 1, when the device of my invention is properly disposed on the derby, as shown in said figure, a very close simulation of the appearance of a silk hat is presented, as the band 8 fits snugly against the crown of the derby and the sides of the body 5 are heldin smooth and slightly stretchedopositio'n by'the springs 7 acting between thecrown of the derby and the plate 6. Moreover, when it is desired to wear the derby as an ordinary hat the device may readily be slipped from the crown thereof without harm to the latter and I provide means now to be described and operable from the exterior of the. body for holding the sprmgs 7 compressed flat against the plate 6 when the device is not in use to enable the sides of the body to be conveniently folded down thereagainst to form a substantially flat package which is approximately the size of the plate 6 and may therefore be readily slipped into the pocket or unobtrusively carried in any desired manner. For this purpose I therefore provide a rotatable retaining bar 9 of suitable length and mount the same on the inner end of a pin 10 extending through the center of the plate and having a button 11 disposed on its outer end adjacent the surface of the top 5' of the body. To prevent relative rotation between the button, the bar, and the pin, the ends of the pin may be squared where they pass through the button and the bar and headed over after assembly so as to hold the button and bar in place, a washer 12 being disposed between the bar and the plate 6 to maintain the former in spaced relation thereto, the bar 9 being thus capable of rotation from the exterior of the body by means of the button 11.

The bar'9 may be formed of aluminum or other suitable material and is desirably provided with a stiffening rib 13 adjacent its center while its ends may be bent downwardly. as at 14 whereby when'rotated from normal position as shown in Fig. 1 and in-full lines in Fig. 2 to operative position as shown in dotted lines in said figure, its ends'will readil slip over the convolutions of the springs when the latter are pressed against the plate 6, thus holding the springs flat against the plate and permitting the body 5 to be folded down against the springs and plate.

It will thus be understood that when the device is to be put on the hat, the band 8 if attached to the body is first slipped down over the crown thereof so as to seat snugly against its base, thus covering the ribbon or band 4, and the bar 9 thereafter rotated by means of the button 11 to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, so as to release the springs and permit them to bear against the top of the crown of the derby and thus extend the sides of the body 5, thereby trans forming the derby, insofar as its general appearance is concerned, into a high silk or opera hat. The device may beasrreadily removed when desired by simply pulling it upwardly away from the derby thus leavin it free tobe worn in the ordinary way, an

after the parts are separated the springs may then be compressed manually against the plate 6 and the retaining bar rotated so as to secure them in collapsed condition, after which the bod may be folded inwardly as hitherto de'scri d. If the band 8 is separate from the body it is slipped into place after thelower end of the body is properly adjusted over the band of the derby.

It will be noted that the springs 7 are desirably so wound as to taper downwardly from the plate 6 when in expanded position, and the ellipse 7 into which their inner convolutions: merge is of a suitable size to secure and maintain a proper and adequate bearing on the crown of the derby while, additionally, the length of the spring retaining bar is preferably such that when in normal position, that is, coincident with the major axis of the ellipse substantially defined by the plate 6, the ends of the bar will lie within the smallest convolutions of the springs, while when turned to retaining position the respective extremities of the bar will overlie all of the convolutions of the compressed springs;

As the several parts of the device are of relatively light weight, its use does not materially increase the weight of the hat as a .whole or the pressure exerted thereby on the head of the wearer, while by so shaping the body 5 as to give a slight flare upwardly in all directions, as indicated in Fig. 1, the apas they are capable of numerous modifica-' tions in various particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. The combination of a. hat formed of relatively stifl' material and tubular body of flexible material substantially elliptical in cross section, closed at one end and fitted over the crown of the hat, stiffening means disposed within the body adjacent its closed end and yielding means carried by and operative'to urge said stifi'ening means axially away from said crown when the body is operatively disposed thereon.

2. The combination of a hat formed of relatively stiff material and having a brim and an upstanding crown, and a flexible fab ric cover comprising a tubular body fitted over the crown and closed at its end remote from said brim, a substantially elliptical stifiening member disposed within said body adjacent its closed end and substantially spiral yielding means interposed between said member and said crown operative to urge said member axially away fromv the crown and thereby maintain said body axially extended.

3. The combination of a hat formed of relatively stiff material and having a brim and an upstanding crown, and a device comprising a tubular fabric body closed at one end and adapted to receive the crown at the other, a substantially elliptical stifi'ening member disposed within said body adjacent its closed end, a pair of substantially spiral axially yieldable springs respectively secured at one endto the member and engaging the crown at the other operative to maintain said member in spaced relation thereto and the body in axially extended condition, and .a resilientband adjacent the open end of the body operative to constrict said end about the crown.

4. An article of the class described, comprising a substantially elliptical stiffening member, a fabric covering adjacent one face thereof and extending outwardly from the edge of the member in the opposite direction from said face, a resilient band carried by said covering remote from said member and a substantially spiral spring carried by said member adjacent its other face and compressible longitudinally of the central axis there- 5. An article of the class described, comprising a substantially elliptical stiffening member, a fabric covering adjacent one face thereof and extending outwardly from the edge of the member in the opposite direction from said face, a resilient band carried by said covering remote from said member, a spring carried by said member adjacent its other face, and means operable to releasably maintain said spring substantially in the plane of said other face.

6. Means for giving a derby hatthe appearance of a high hat, comprising a hollow fabric body of substantially elliptical cross section and open at one end, a substantially elliptical plate disposed in its otherend, resilient means carried by the plate and adapted to yieldingly extend toward said open end, a bar rotatably supported on the plate and operable to maintain said resilient means compressed against one face of the plate, and means extending outwardly from the other face of the plate operable to effect disengagement of said bar from said resilient means.

7. Means for giving a derby hat the appearance of a high hat, comprising a hollow fabric body of substantially elliptical cross section and open at one end, a substantially elliptical plate disposed in its other end, resilient means carried by the plate and adapted to yieldingly extend toward said open end, a bar rotatably supported on the plate and operable to maintain said resilient means compressed against one face of the plate, means extending outwardly from the other face of the plate operable to effect disengagement of said bar from said resilient means, and a resilient band disposed adjacent the open end of said bod Id witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of April, 1931.

HENRY F. JORDAN. 

